Wallace 'Wally' C. Perry, 90

Wallace “Wally” C. Perry of Athol, Idaho, passed away Oct. 16, 2025. He is survived by his wife, Patricia “Pat”; and daughter Peggy (Tim) Turrell, Post Falls, Idaho; grandchildren: Sarah McIntyre, Nathan King and Jimmy Pollard; niece Romona (Archie) Triber, and many other nieces and nephews.

Wally was born in Spokane, Wash., at Sacred Heart Hospital to Erwin Henry Perry and Beatrice Myrtle Short on Nov. 10, 1934, as the last child of 10. He is preceded in death by his parents; two infant siblings; brothers John, Henry (Hank), Roy and Ray; sisters Grace, Joan and Myrtle; sons Jeffrey and Gregory; and daughter Kathy.

Wally’s mother passed away in 1947, when Wally was only 12. He was raised by his oldest sister and brother. His sister and family moved to Spokane with their three young children, and the household became 10 with the Yates family and the five children, including Wally. When Wally was a teen, he moved to Seattle with his sister, Joan, to live with his older brother, Hank, and his family. Wally went to school in Burien and is an alum of Burien High School. After high school, he joined the Navy and was stationed out of Sand Point Naval Station, Lake Washington, Seattle, and finished his tour of duty on Guam as an AN(E3). In the early '60s, Wally leased and ran a service station, cabins, towing service with his 1939 Dodge wrecker, and a guide service for hunters, campers and Boy Scouts into the wilderness area of the Stuart Range in the Cascades from U.S. 2 above Leavenworth, Wash.

Wally was a master carpenter and welder. In the early '70s, Wally worked on Expo ’74 in Spokane, Wash. It was here, while visiting Coeur d’Alene one night with some of his co-workers, that he met his life partner, Pat. They just celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary last August. After carpentry work slowed down, Wally suggested they try Alaska, since the oil pipeline was in full swing. Before leaving in 1975, they bought 40 acres in the Athol area, which eventually became the Good Hope Ranch. Pat transferred from her JCPenney job in Coeur d’Alene to Fairbanks, and Wally eventually found work outside the union hall. Wally worked as a carpenter and welder on the Moose Creek dam near North Pole, Alaska, for Alyeska Services on the TransAlaska Pipeline. Before retirement, he managed the Alaska Department of Public Safety building in Fairbanks. Pat retired from JCPenney in 1995 and returned to Idaho, while Wally stayed another couple of years in Fairbanks to add to his retirement.

Memorial service is at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Yates Funeral Home, 373 E. Hayden Ave., Hayden, ID. Arrangements are provided by Yates Funeral Home. Online registry and condolences may be found at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.